Ranchi, August 19: Several petitions were filed before the Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday challenging the state government’s decision to cancel 22 recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and an outsourced agency.
The petitions were filed by Avdhesh Kumar and other candidates who had successfully cleared various examinations and were subsequently appointed to government posts. The petitioners have challenged the cancellation, arguing that the decision could put their jobs and careers at risk.
The petitions were filed a day after the Jharkhand government issued notifications cancelling 22 recruitment examinations and ordering investigations into 23 other examinations amid allegations of malpractice and irregularities.
The cancelled examinations include the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination, along with recruitment tests for drug inspectors, assistant professors in government engineering and medical colleges, lecturers in government polytechnics, senior scientific officers, assistant conservators of forests, forest range officers, food safety officers and child development project officers.
The state government announced the decision following a Cabinet meeting on Monday, with eight notifications issued late Tuesday night. The government said the move was aimed at restoring confidence in the recruitment system and addressing allegations of irregularities in the examination process.
However, the cancellation has triggered concern among candidates who were selected through the affected examinations and had already joined government service. They contend that candidates who cleared the examinations through the prescribed selection process should not be penalised for alleged wrongdoing by others.
The legal challenges now place the recruitment examination controversy before the Jharkhand High Court. The court’s proceedings are expected to determine whether the government’s decision to cancel the examinations and consequently affect existing appointments can be sustained.
The development comes as the wider dispute over alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations continues to intensify, with students, appointed candidates and political parties raising competing demands over the government’s handling of the recruitment process.
